Wales still waiting for first WSB wins of 2015

Welsh boxing’s wait for a win in the new season of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) will have to wait a little longer. On Friday, Barry Town’s Andrew ‘Bad Man’ Selby and Cardiff’s Joe ‘Welsh Wizard’ Cordina both suffered brave defeats The pair were part of the British Lionhearts team who travelled to Kiev to take on Ukraine Otamans, narrowly losing the away fixture 3-2. Officials were forced to halt Selby inside the distance when the 26-year-old was unable to see out of his left eye, handing Kyrgyzstan’s Azat Usenaliev a fifth round stoppage victory. The opening two rounds were nip and tuck but Usenaliev was finding success with his right hand and it paid off in the third when Selby’s injury began to swell shut. Selby bravely persuaded the ringside doctor to let him carry on but he was one-eyed and unable to turn the tide. It was the first time Selby, a World and European Championships medalist, has been defeated in ten WSB contests. The upset was all the more surprising given that the flyweight had already beaten Usenaliev by Unanimous Decision last year. Straight after Selby’s loss, Cordina took to the ring and it didn’t get off to the best of starts. As Cordina approached Oleg Prudkyi, the pair clashed heads, temporarily rocking the Welshman who was then put down with a follow up punch. The head clash went unnoticed by the referee, so it would be up to Cordina to turn things around and he almost did. Cordina would get a foothold in the fight as he established the range behind strong straight shots and he controlled the closing rounds but it wasn’t enough to convince the judges. All three judges favoured Prudkyi, courtesy of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 scorecards. Aston Brown was the other defeated Lionheart but there were victories for Haizel Ekow Tabiri-Essuman and Joe Joyce, giving the team a losing bonus point. Last week, Welshman Ashley Williams was defeated at York Hall against He Junjun of the China Dragons. The British Lionhearts were still victorious in the fixture and aim to score their second win on Friday against the Morocco Atlas Lions, with Williams in the team.